hazard



(No Model.)

' A. A. HAZARD.

THILL COUPLING.

No. 438,106. Paftented Oct. '7, 1890.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIC AUGUSTUS A. HAZARD, OF COUNCIL BLUFFS, IOWA, ASSIGNOR TO M. D. HAZARD, OF SAME PLACE.

THlLL-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 438,106, dated October 7, 1890.

Application filed August 2, 1889. Serial No. 319,593. (No model.) I

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AUGUSTUS A. HAZARD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Council Bluffs, Pottawattamie county, Iowa, 5 have invented a new and useful Improvement in Carriage-Shaft Clips, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a shaft-clip for buggies or other vehicles by means whereof the shaft may be taken off of or put onto a buggy or other vehicle without removing any nuts or bolts from the wheel.

In using a clip made in accordance with my invention no washer is required between the r end of the shaft and clip to prevent rattling. A suitable safety-guard prevents the shaft from being thrown out of the clip-jaws in case the locking-lever be pulled out.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan "iew of a portion of the shaft and axle, provided with my improved clip; 2, a vertical elevation thereof; Fig. 3, a similar elevation with the looking-lever thrown back; Fig. 4, a plan view of the shaft-iron; Fig. 5, a side elevation thereof; Fig. 6, a plan view of the clip-jaws; Fig. 7, an inside view of one set of jaws; Fig. 8, an end view of the lower clip-plate; Fig. 9, a plan view of the spring I; Fig. 10, a plan View of the spring-plate, and Fig. ll a side elevation thereof.

A is the shaft-iron fitting into the clip-jaws and provided with a pin B and a safety-guard O, as shown more particularly in Figs. 4 and 5.

D are the clip-jaws slotted, as shown, to re- 3 5 ceive the pin B on the shaft-iron.

E is a spring plate or washer placed, as shown, between the clip jaws behind the shaft-iron.

F is a locking-lever pivoted in supports H and adapted to swing back and forth over the axle. Its forward end is wedge-shaped and enters between the clip-jaws, passing back of the spring-plate E. It is preferably provided with a thumb-catch G, by means whereof it is 5 moved back and forth. H is the lower clip- -plate passing under the axle-tree and supporting the locking-lever. I is a spring between this plate and the lever, which acts to hold the latter either forward or back, and J is a pin upon which the lever F swings.

The clip-jaws are bolted onto the axle by means of a suitable strap and bolts, as shown, the jaws being on the forward side of the axle. In order to hook on the shafts the shaftirons are placed in the clip-jaws and tilted up 5 5 nearly perpendicular to allow the pin to enter the slot in the jaws. The shafts are then lowered and are forced forward by the engagement of the guard O with the front end of the jaws. The spring-plate E, which is supported in place by means of suitable shoulders engaging with the jaws, is then pushed forward against the end of the shaftiron and the lever F is swung over and its wedge shaped end forced in behind the springplate, locking the shafts in place.

To take the shafts off, the operation is reversed, the locking-lever is thrown back, the shafts raised and pushed backward and lifted out of the jaws.

I claiin 1. In a thill-coupling, a locking-lever F, with thumb-catch G, said bar actuating by spring I and operating over the axle-tree, the end being wedge-shaped for purposes of entering between the ears D D and behind plat-e E, so as to automatically take up the wear and tear, substantially as described.

2. The combination of a shaft-iron A, provided with pin B, slotted jaws D, engaging with such pin, a spring-plate E, and a pivoted look-lever F, adapted to engage with such spring-plate and lock the parts in place, substantially as described.

3. In a'carriage-shaft clip, the combination of a spring-plate E, preventing rattling, and a pivoted lock-lever F, provided with a tapering point and engaging with such spring-plate, substantially as described.

4. The combination of the shaft-iron A, hav- 9o ing pin B, slotted jaws D, engaging with such pin, a spring-plate E, operating against the inner end of the shaft-iron and locking-lever F, and a spring I, substantially as described.

AUGUSTUS A. HAZARD.

WVitnesses.

DALL RIsELEY J. J. JONES. 

